Permission given for €40m special village for elderly

Work is due to start early next year on a €40 million purpose built village for elderly people near Monivea in Co Galway.

The residential complex, which will house more than 450 elderly people, is based on the model of the successful retirement village developed by Dr Jerry Cowley TD in Mulranney, west Mayo.

Galway County Council has granted planning permission for the development, which will be constructed on 48 acres.

The development will comprise a 100 bedroom community care centre along with 122 one and two bedroom retirement homes specifically designed for the elderly and surrounded by extensive gardens, nurseries and water features. The self-contained village will also include a hotel and leisure centre, a cinema, library, doctor's surgery, restaurant, credit union - on site medical facilities will be provided as well as other domestic services.

When the development is completed in five years, it is expected to create around 240 full-time and 90 part-time jobs. If there are no objections to the planning permission, construction will start next January.

The project is being developed by Monivea Community Development Co-Op with the support of Coillte who are providing the land adjacent to the village.

Monivea businessman Mr Padraic McGann explained that there were a lot of elderly people living in isolated areas around Monivea who would welcome the opportunity to move into a purpose built complex.

He said: "It is a new concept in nursing home care and one in which the residents are given an opportunity to be active in a lot of things and even develop new skills if they wish." Mr McGann said the developers of the project would also be giving a lot of priority to elderly people living abroad who wished to return home but could not do so for financial reasons.

"This will be a very affordable scheme and one which will be the jewel in the crown in nursing home care," he explained.

Applications will be taken from elderly people in the local and surrounding areas during construction of the complex. The hotel and leisure centre located at the entrance to the complex will be privately run and will be an additional facility for local residents.

Support for the project has been received from Galway County Council and the County Enterprise Board and a meeting will take place next month with a number of State agencies to discuss funding for the complex.